Vekk (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
asuran_hero) wrote2013-11-24 11:06 am
asuran_hero) wrote2013-11-24 11:06 am
Entry tags:
OOC: Asura Gate Theory
This is just random ideas I've thrown together based on what little is shared by ArenaNet along with Wormhole Theory and some help from Stargate and Star Trek. I may have to edit this in the future should we get more info.
Like a Stargate, the Asura Gate acts as the entry and exit point for an artificial wormhole. Since we never see these Gates shut down, not even in Guild Wars 2, I'm going to say that the Asura found a way around the power issues that Earth encountered in Stargate: creating and maintaining an artificial wormhole beyond a specific time limit requires a vast amount of power that Earth had not known how to generate. In the original Guild Wars this was theoretically accomplished due to the magical bleed-off from Primordus who was sleeping at the time. In the sequel, the source is unknown but it may explain some of why the Gates have a thicker housing than they used to. The reason being is that Asura Gates are typically constantly-open for much longer periods of time. In the novel Ghosts of Ascalon, the attending Asura at Ebonhawke had made the change in destination for the group heading to the ruins of Ascalon City during a very brief period when no traffic was expected. It could be that the Gates are shut down for short periods of time for maintenance or emergency purposes but otherwise remain constantly online.
Much like in Star Trek and unlike in Stargate, the wormhole seems to go both ways. There is no set entrance or exit that have to be switched back-and-forth. Connected Asura Gates act as both transmitters and receivers simultaneously.
When a person or object passes through the Asura Gate, the subject is broken down and then shifted to the target location where its individual particles are reassembled. This could mean that there are safety precautions in place for health and security purposes. In Star Trek, later generations of the transporter use a biofilter for removing known contaminants from transported subjects to lessen the risk of disease outbreaks. In Stargate, the Iris is a shield that can be closed over the Stargate's event horizon to ensure any unfriendlies trying to use the Stargate are unable to reintegrate and are effectively destroyed. (Think "bugs on a windshield" without the gooey mess.)
It's theoretically possible the Asura use similar tactics, particularly due to the issue of people and objects "passing" one another as they travel through the Gates. A filter could also be in place to ensure that various patterns aren't scrambled and therefore don't create a The Fly situation. Theoretically, it may even be possible to store these patterns in an overflow filter in the event of high levels of traffic flowing through the Gates as a safety precaution to keep from patterns being scrambled due to overload. There may be a slightly longer delay before someone finishes their transport but it's largely negligible. Also, Vekk and Gadd's exchange in the cinematic Before the Battle seems to imply that Asura Gate technology--and likely a lot of Asura technology--uses crystals in the way humans use computer chips and other computer components. Judging by how in Guild Wars 2 that data is stored in data crystals and so on, I tentatively call this confirmed.
As for the waypoints in Guild Wars 2, I theorize that they work much like how the emergency transporter armbands work in Star Trek: They can be remotely triggered to automatically transport the person directly to its location since they seem to be largely unmanned. Specifics like why they don't work when a territory is occupied by hostiles, why they won't transport you in combat, and how they calculate and take your money from you is anyone's guess. It's possible that those last three questions are simply game mechanics with no actual basis in lore.
Like a Stargate, the Asura Gate acts as the entry and exit point for an artificial wormhole. Since we never see these Gates shut down, not even in Guild Wars 2, I'm going to say that the Asura found a way around the power issues that Earth encountered in Stargate: creating and maintaining an artificial wormhole beyond a specific time limit requires a vast amount of power that Earth had not known how to generate. In the original Guild Wars this was theoretically accomplished due to the magical bleed-off from Primordus who was sleeping at the time. In the sequel, the source is unknown but it may explain some of why the Gates have a thicker housing than they used to. The reason being is that Asura Gates are typically constantly-open for much longer periods of time. In the novel Ghosts of Ascalon, the attending Asura at Ebonhawke had made the change in destination for the group heading to the ruins of Ascalon City during a very brief period when no traffic was expected. It could be that the Gates are shut down for short periods of time for maintenance or emergency purposes but otherwise remain constantly online.
Much like in Star Trek and unlike in Stargate, the wormhole seems to go both ways. There is no set entrance or exit that have to be switched back-and-forth. Connected Asura Gates act as both transmitters and receivers simultaneously.
When a person or object passes through the Asura Gate, the subject is broken down and then shifted to the target location where its individual particles are reassembled. This could mean that there are safety precautions in place for health and security purposes. In Star Trek, later generations of the transporter use a biofilter for removing known contaminants from transported subjects to lessen the risk of disease outbreaks. In Stargate, the Iris is a shield that can be closed over the Stargate's event horizon to ensure any unfriendlies trying to use the Stargate are unable to reintegrate and are effectively destroyed. (Think "bugs on a windshield" without the gooey mess.)
It's theoretically possible the Asura use similar tactics, particularly due to the issue of people and objects "passing" one another as they travel through the Gates. A filter could also be in place to ensure that various patterns aren't scrambled and therefore don't create a The Fly situation. Theoretically, it may even be possible to store these patterns in an overflow filter in the event of high levels of traffic flowing through the Gates as a safety precaution to keep from patterns being scrambled due to overload. There may be a slightly longer delay before someone finishes their transport but it's largely negligible. Also, Vekk and Gadd's exchange in the cinematic Before the Battle seems to imply that Asura Gate technology--and likely a lot of Asura technology--uses crystals in the way humans use computer chips and other computer components. Judging by how in Guild Wars 2 that data is stored in data crystals and so on, I tentatively call this confirmed.
As for the waypoints in Guild Wars 2, I theorize that they work much like how the emergency transporter armbands work in Star Trek: They can be remotely triggered to automatically transport the person directly to its location since they seem to be largely unmanned. Specifics like why they don't work when a territory is occupied by hostiles, why they won't transport you in combat, and how they calculate and take your money from you is anyone's guess. It's possible that those last three questions are simply game mechanics with no actual basis in lore.